I went to an antique market today and picked up a cool old clock. It's in a solidly built oak frame, and it was made by a company called the "Self Winding Clock, Co." out of New York. The little bit of googling I did when I came home revealed that these were common in Western Union offices. It will look great on the wall, but it looks like the pendulum is loose (something I didn't notice at the antique mart ::)). Just wondering if anyone knows much about old clocks. This thing is too cool, and I want to get it repaired, though if I can do it myself, I'd like to try.
I'll try to get a picture of it later today.
Here's a picture of the clock.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10109/Photo_042907_001.jpg)
That is a cool looking clock. I like the font of the numbers. :)
Does the pendulum just hang down out of the case, or is it in an enclosed case of its own?
I see a cord in the background, is it an electric clock?
Does the pendulum control the time/gear or is it for show? If it is for looks only it may be loose and still swing. If it controls the escape gear it needs to be properly adjusted to make the clock keep time.
Tell us more.....
Well, here's the story that the seller relayed to me. Apparently, it was originally powered by a battery, though the battery didn't power the clockworks. The battery powered the mechanism that self wound the clock. So the clock was still essentially a wind up clock, but the winding was powered by a 12 volt battery. The previous owners got tired of having to change the battery, and so bought a transformer to convert home current to 12 V. I'd like to reconvert it back to it's original condition.
The pendulum is enclosed within the clock, and right now it's dragging on the bottom of the casement. I'm about to shine a flashlight in there and see what's going on. I do believe the pendulum controls the timing, which might mean it could take a lot of tweaking to get it figured out, but it sure would be worth it, I think.
What's very cool is that the original instruction manual was included, so I still have this. I think this clock could be about 100 years old. The manual has directions on how to get the battery started, through a chemical process. :P
Metalspinner--the font was what really sold me on the clock too!
I'm going to try and find a clock repairmen, but I want to find someone who has some knowledge of this particular kind of clock.
There is a repairman in the area that my Grandma uses, I can get the name and number if you want.
Clock repairs are NOT cheap, just warning you ahead of time. ;)
This clock looks like the Model 29 C.1940. I'm not familiar with these type movements. I have several Seth Thomas windups.
I'm a clock-a-holic.
Stew
Hey there Radar, do you know of some online forums for clock-a-holics? I've spent the past half hour trying to track down a decent sized forum, but no luck at all.
Hey Furb...sure, I'll take the guy's number and maybe give him a call to see if he has any experience with something like this.
Don't know of any big forums on clocks, have you tried clockforum.com? Try searching "Horology" or "Horological". I have a few links saved for parts and such, but more for the 8 and 400 (Anniversary type) day movements. Even got a couple for Grandfather clock escapements and hardware kits.
Stew
Duncan used to repair clocks.
He's coming over this morning. I'll tell him about your post Paschale.
Info sent Paschale!
I'm 'down' to about 40 antique clocks now....
I usually buy dead ones and then repair them. Clocks are actually fairly simple once you get to know 'em. The flagship of my collection is a 200 y/o tall case (grandfather clock) that was made in Cincinnati when it was a frontier town. It has all wooden gears, and actually keeps decent time! As for your clock, I don't know much about those. The pendulum is usually suspended by a thin wire, or sometimes a very thin piece of flat spring steel. The suspension could have broken, or more likely, simple jumped off its hook. It's too late now, but you should never transport a clock w/ the pendulum attached. Taking it out of the case will probably reveal the cause pretty readily.
Thanks for the comments, scargoyle.
I've been thinking of disassembling it a little bit, but having never done it, I don't want it to suffer the fate of irreparable harm done by a newbie who doesn't know what he's doing. ::)
I see screws on the face of the clock, and there is a screwed nut type of thing that screws into the hands. Typically, how are the hands attached? I unscrewed the bolt thingie, and gently tugged on the hands, but they didn't budge, and I wasn't about to force 'em! :o
I think if I can get the face and hands off without incident, I'll have a better notion of what's going on with the pendulum.
Your words of wisdom are something I wish I had heard before driving home. ::) With my hands on the clock, I could feel the movement of the car effecting the DanG thing, and I found myself wondering what could be happening in there.
The hands on old clocks are usually just a friction fit, but the friction can be considerable if they haven't been removed in a long time. Some clocks have a pin holding the minute hand on. They make special pullers to remove clock hands, since they are fragile. There's usually a way to open the back of the case, so that the the pendulum can be removed, and for minor maintenance, but your clock appears to be different. Some very close pics would help.
Well time to resurrect an old thread. I have here a Dutch Zaandam Porcelain and Wood Wall Clock by Alma Klokken B.V. with two brass weights. I am posting the link to a website that shows it in detail, never mind about the sales end of it displayed on the site.
Same Model Clock as Mine Here (http://www.allabouttime.net/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AAT&Product_Code=N6023&Category_Code=P)
Anyway, this clock is close to 30 years old now, I just replaced the pendulum spring with one I sourced online. The clock never did run too well, the pendulum looses momentum and I've adjusted the timing screw and weight up and down in many positions. It'll run for a brief bit, a minute or two and stop. The movement is made in West Germany. The innards are enclosed in a wooden case, so to speak. And I suppose it may be dirty, but it doesn't look to be dusty on the gears from what I can see of them. Of course the store where it was bought didn't know anything about clock repair and it was not cheap for the times. Anyway, maybe someone has a thought or two to ponder. ;D
Well, this morning it seems I found the right "position" of the horseman on the pendulum to keep him rocking, at least for now. He's been rocking nonstop for 15 minutes now. Next is to see how the timing goes over a 24 hr period. 8)
I remeber my uncle had a coo coo clock and when we went there he would crank er up. That thing kept me awake at night >:( :D
Does this one chime at hours ???
My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf so it stood 90 years on the floor.
So, Paul, was it pretty hard to do any slumbering with all those 'ticktocs'? ::)
Quote from: isawlogs on September 16, 2011, 08:01:16 AM
I remeber my uncle had a coo coo clock and when we went there he would crank er up. That thing kept me awake at night >:( :D
Does this one chime at hours ???
This one chimes a ding on the 1/2 hour and chimes the hours as well. The left weight is for the chimes and the right is the time.
I also have a Howard Miller key wind that chimes every quarter with Westminister chimes. And a Bulova quartz that chimes the hours on Westminister chimes. My uncle wants me to built myself a grandfather clock case and get the clock works to put in it. Them chimes don't bother my sleep. In fact I am annoyed by the quartz $5 jobby I have in the kitchen more than the mechanical clocks. Sounds like a darn faucet dripping. :D
Had one that clicked so loud it kept me awake , it became a yard ornament one evining ;D :)
I guess there is one good thing about getting old.....I can't hear those clocks ticking and chiming!
I have managed to set the timing just right now. Took a couple days of trial and error. ;D
I sleep right through the ticking and chiming, have for years. ;D